Autumn in Auster

Large dark paws dug into the sand to help brace the male against the harsh winds. The ocean whipped through his thick ruff as he clawed his way to a rocky outcropping that may at least help him get his bearings. The evening winds this close to the ocean would make hunting nigh impossible.

When Eltrys reached the rocks he put the stones between him and the oncoming rush of air. It wasn't much but it at least let him open his eyes and take in a long breath. Frigid ice blue eyes looked around as well as he could but the winds were whipping up so much sand he couldn't see more than two feet in front of him and if he dared look around his rocky wall he'd get a face full.

He didn't have much choice then, might as well wait out the storm, and see what kind of rest he could accomplish while unearthly howls crashed upon him from the sky.

It would be the deepest of the night before the storm finally relinquished its hold upon The Shimmering Shore. At least for a time.

Some nights, Bramble would not sleep. It wasn't that she didn't want to, her brain wouldn't shut off. With the whipping of the wind against the castle walls, it wouldn't matter how hard she covered her ears. Sleep wasn't happening. Tossing and turning, finally kicking off her hide blanket, she lay there, staring the ceiling. Her ravens nestle together, bracing against the draft that seeps in from the exterior roof. Releasing a defeated sigh, she slips from her room, down the floors to the grand entry and leaves Hearthstone.

Finding her way toward the coast with the wind twirling around her, she nearly allows it to guide her to the shore. Standing atop the cliff as she had before, she peers down to the shimmering water that appears to be settling down. Waiting a few more moments before descending the weathered stairs down to the sand, Bramble braces against the wall to avoid particles in her eyes or from being knocked over.

Once she can safely make it to the beach, she stops to look around a moment. Seemingly deserted, the princess begins her midnight stroll. Hoping to wear her mind and body out, she thinks of the many things that had been going on lately. Her siblings getting older, herself getting older, others dying, the circle of life domineering in such a way that it frightened her. What was to happen when her parents passed? She doesn't want to think of that now... No, not yet.

Letting out a sigh before inhaling a deep breath, Bramble is surprised to scent someone else. Pausing a moment to assess, she waits. With the storm dying down, the beach is a wild mess of different scents. Salt, sea life, fish, grass, gentle herbs, but that one wolf scent is tracking stronger as she takes a few steps forward. Yet, she can't see anyone, no matter how hard she peers into the shimmering darkness.

"Speech"

Finally when the wind died down Eltrys took a few moments to take in deep breaths of the ocean without sand getting in his nose. The smell had a sharp hint of cold and oncoming winter coming from inland. He could smell the grass and the rocks still wet and salted from the waves. The storm might have carried up a few free meals.

He stretched his great paws out in front of him and made a loud yawn as he picked himself up from the dune that buried most of his body behind his measly shelter. He stepped out and sent sand flying as he shook his pelt hard and deep. Nothing good about sand getting trapped close to his skin.

He lifted his wide nose to the air again and finally caught the other's scent before he saw her. She was a lithe shadow silhouette against the cliff face to the north, perhaps taller than him but he couldn't gauge as well in this darkness.

Piercing eyes, maybe catching a glint of of the strange shimmering light of the waves and moonlight froze on her before he spoke.
"Not a shadow, are you?" He asked cautiously, an averagely masculine voice reached over the sand to her.

Oceanic winds shifted and lessened, no longer kicking up sand particles. Blinking away the debris, she takes a few more steps away from the shelter of the cliff wall toward the water that laps at darkened sand. She tries to ignore the stranger and his scent. Perhaps he's sleeping. Wishing to not bother someone who might cause trouble, Bramble looks out across the bioluminescent water. Quite a spectacle to view if one hadn't seen it before.

Overtly aware of the stranger still somewhere along the beach, she is surprised to hear a masculine voice call out to her. Turning to look over her shoulder, she lets out a quiet laugh. Her gaze finally lands on the male, shorter than herself, but naturally brown in color which to her is pleasant.

"I could be hardly considered a shadow," Bramble calls back, cautiously turning to face the stranger. "I hope the storm didn't bother you too much," she keeps her distance and her posture relaxed so he doesn't get any idea that she might be aggressive.

"Speech"

His ears perked up at her laugh, a delightful sound, and his shoulders relaxed into his body. The simple exchange answered a few questions, he was not on any pack land, and she wasn't aggressive, and also he wasn't dreaming. She was much closer to the shore than him and he made his way down to it while she asked her own question, making sure to give her some distance. He hadn't seen these glimmering waves properly yet. What he thought was the moon's reflection was actually something entirely different.

He kept his gaze on the glowing waters as he answered, "The storm was quite fierce honestly! I hadn't experienced a wind like that where I'm from. I was grateful for the shelter I found." He nodded behind him where he had first appeared without letting his eyes off the waves.
"I've also never encountered this before! Is this some kind of magic?" He asked her about the glowing sparkles in the water, they only glowed when the waves were agitated. Is the water here the reason so many of the creatures are so much more colorful than him?

To be fair he hadn't experienced much in his life, sheltered as he was.

Bramble is thoughtful as she watches the waves wash up onto the shore. These are waters she sees every day from her bedroom. An ocean she has witnessed become ferocious every winter. While their weather may not drop to the frigid temperatures of northern Boreas, they experienced their own type of dangerous weather. Turbulent storms that crashed upon the shores of Auster, threatening to take any distracted soul from the very earth they walked on. She knew the experience personally, having been swept out to sea more than once.

"Storms are not uncommon here," Bramble begins, her smile never fading as she focuses back on the shimmering water that laps at her paws. "Magic? No, what you are looking at is phosphorescent bacteria," it was something she had learned not only from her father, but from her cousin, Meadow, who had her nose stuck in a book every chance she got. "During the day, they can't be seen, but at night, they light up the whole shore. Since the tide moves the water around, they get disturbed and light up," her lifts a paw and swishes it around in the shallows to show how wherever her paw had gone would suddenly light up and then fade away. "As far as I know, magic doesn't exist here," she chuckles, looking up to see what he thought.

"Speech"

He can see the glint of her soft smile in the gloom as she tells of the storms in the area. The cliffs must receive frequent battering. He came much closer and leaned in when she dipped her paw in the water while she explained the water was not magic. Yet he watched as she swirled the tiny sparkles of light around in the water just with her paw. He looked at her awed as if she indeed was a witch!

"As if the stars themselves have fallen in the waters!" He exclaimed softly turning back to the glimmering waves breaking over his own paws. For all he knew Bacteria and Phosphorous were this land's terms for Spirits and Vibrations. He lifted a large paw and watched as the tiny blue-green sprinkles glittered as they fell back into the ocean.

"Magic not exist here?" he was incredulous of her, magic was all he knew, it was all he was raised to know. "I don't know about that. Magic is everywhere, the very same magic brought us both here, I think." He had a very broad idea of magic, the wind to him was itself a playful entity. Perhaps his uncle had not only been led astray, but perhaps he stopped believing in the magic that was all around him as this stranger did.

"My name is Eltrys, who might I have the honor of addressing?" He asked finally. It was about time acquaintances were made he thought.

EhL-triss

Bramble gives a chuckle as he exclaims that the stars had fallen into the waters. To her, all she knew came from old relics and books found in her aunt's library. One that she spent many hours in, having Meadow help her learn to read and scouring over the texts for any and all knowledge of old times. Creatures known as humans used to roam these lands and did something called research to figure out what exactly caused this specific phenomenon. Of course, not all wolves believed it and Bramble was okay with it. While magic could and probably did exist, she had only really seen once or two instances ever happen within their lands.

She looks over to him as he explains that magic is indeed everywhere. "The closest to magic that I've experienced is meeting a ghost," Bramble admits, a shy smile playing on her lips as she remembers the ghost that had harassed her in the castle. Throwing things and shouting nonsense. It had been quite the moment for young Bramble. Pulled from her memories, she turns to smile at Eltrys. "Bramble Carpathius," she offers in return, a dip of her muzzle to him. "What brings you here to Auster, Eltrys?" She asks, her head tilting lightly to the side.

"Speech"

"Speech"

"A ghost!" He repeats, nodding. Oh yes, that would be magic for sure. He had never come across a pure ghost, though he had many lessons surrounding them, whether they were based on true lessons though, he was unsure.

Her name in two parts sounded important! He mouthed her name to himself as he dipped his head in return, hoping to remember it, "I am grateful to have met you, Bramble Carpatius." Accidentally misspeaking her second name, "Carpathius, sorry!" He corrected. Hopefully, she didn't think he was a complete bumbleheaded fool, rambling about magic and making a simple greeting mistake!

"Auster you say? Is that this land? I came from far away." His intense cold blue gaze wandered over the water, beyond the horizon, back to his home of lies.
"I hope to create a home here. Something I didn't believe for a long time, I could do." He sighed and shrugged as if the weight of the past grew suddenly heavier, but he quickly shook it off and returned his attention to the future.

"For now though, I will explore this land, Auster. Perhaps I'll stumble onto more of these magical places you claim are not magic!" He feigned a chuckle with a tilt of his head, hoping to mask the past grief that threatened to overtake him a moment ago. He was certainly not ready to face that yet.

"And you? Are you from here then, Bramble Carpathius?" He asked, unknowing the second name was a formality.

Bramble smiles earnestly, carefully watching the man who appeared not of this land. That much was clear with how he spoke and what he mentioned. She's not bothered by the misspeak of her name, a paw lightly waved in his direction to ward off an ill-feelings. It happened. The Carpathian name could be difficult to pronounce for some, she knew that to be true.

"Auster is the name of the entire continent, yes. Where we currently stand is Shimmering Shore," she answers politely, her body relaxed now that the heavy winds weren't too bothersome. "If you are in search of a home, my pack is always welcomes those who are in need," her tail swishes a few times. If she could recruit someone, her father would be most impressed! "We live just on the hill over there," Bramble turns now to motion her muzzle toward the castle that loomed on the cliffside. "Up in the castle there," she mentions as she turns back to Eltrys.

"If you ever find yourself in need of a place to rest, our doors will be open," she smiles at him before letting out a light laugh. "I wouldn't say there isn't magic here, but you won't always find it," Bramble winks before nodding at his last questions. "Yes, I was born here in the castle and have always lived in this area," she tilts her head slightly, wondering if he would mention his homeland or not. It didn't seem as if he would be keen on doing so which was fine. She didn't like poking or prodding anyway.

"Speech"

"Speech"

Eltrys sighed with relief as she waved his vocal blunder off as inconsequential, he did notice that the cadence of her voice was different than his, hers was an easy speech, his words were practiced, perhaps stiff. Would he find a way to let this world's rhythm affect his habits?

When Bramble mentioned the title of the shore they stood on, Etrys roved his frost blue eyes over the waves sparkling in the night. An apt name... he mused to himself.

She invited him to join her pack and indicated the castle high above them towering on the cliffs. As she pointed it out it was the first time he let his attention be seized by the image above him. The spires and stones reached the cloudy dark sky of the night like the stalagmites of his home. Instead of comfort, they filed him with dread. His ears swiveled and pinned back for just a moment, his tail swished briefly hopefully to brush off stubborn anxieties.

"I... appreciate the gesture." He pushed the words out, as if his mouth had suddenly filled with sand, "I'll explore these lands a bit more before  I'll land somewhere, I think. Thank you." He curtly nodded his head, hoping he hadn't tipped her off to his sudden rush of fear he swallowed back.

He could barely hear the rest of the conversation as the ringing and cotton in his ears from the sudden panic filled them.
This rush of adrenaline fell into his pads, making his legs itch to wander.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Bramble Carpatrys--thee-us, I'll remember your kindness and welcome for many moons." He easily shifted into the ritualistic salutation, finding a hint of comfort in the old script, kicking himself for messing up her name again for just a moment. "I'll be practicing your name, also." He chuckled sheepishly before continuing, "I like to sleep in the open air as much as possible, so I'll be off to look for a place to wait for the morning." He dipped his head in farewell, perhaps being too hasty, maybe even rude at this juncture. Unfortunately upon noticing the castle rising over them, he felt like he needed to get as far away from it as possible. Shallow dens and dugouts were fine, utilitarian even! Caves... Anything reminding him of caves... He just couldn't do it again.